Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to the field of systems for drilling wells. More specifically, the present invention discloses a system for optimizing in real time drilling trajectories and the position of wellbores to increase production, and to reduce drilling and completion costs and the impact of drilling and hydraulic fracturing on the environment by saving water and sand used as proppant.
Background of the Invention
The statements in this section merely provide background information related to the present disclosure and may not constitute prior art.
The ultimate objective of drilling oil and gas wells is to optimize the production and recovery of hydrocarbons in the surrounding rock. One methodology being used in the industry is a practice called geosteering, where the model of the subsurface geological structure and/or rock properties are being updated using real-time data obtained during drilling and the information is then used to confirm, or correct the wellbore trajectory to position it in the best possible position to achieve the wellbore objectives. The data being used to update the rock properties are petrophysical parameters gathered through cuttings, or gas analysis at surface, or from Measurements While Drilling (MWD), Logging While Drilling (LWD) measurements such as resistivity, gamma-ray, porosity and acoustic travel time as well as image data to determine relative dip angles between the rock and the wellbore.
Rock mechanical properties derived from sonic data are occasionally used as well. Rock mechanical properties play an important role in the short and long term production and recovery potential of the well being drilled, particularly in formations that require some form of stimulation treatment to achieve the desired results. This includes unconventional shale oil and gas wells and other tight (low porosity and permeability) rock formations. In the vast majority of these wells no LWD data are being acquired for geosteering purposes, or for the derivation of rock mechanical properties that will play major role in the success of the stimulation process.
Accordingly, there remains a need for developing a robust workflow that allows the real time use of drilling data to optimize the well trajectory and to assist in geosteering the wellbores towards the brittle rocks for completion optimization in unconventional reservoirs to increase hydrocarbon production, reduce drilling and completion costs and reduce the impact on the environment by saving water and sand used as proppant.
Drilling data, particularly data that can be used to determine the energy being applied to the rock face, such as rate of penetration (ROP), weight on bit (WOB), bit rotary speed (Bit RPM), bit torque and hydraulic horsepower can be used to calculate rock mechanical properties that, in turn can be used to update the subsurface geological and geomechanical models and to accomplish geosteering based on these properties similar to applying petrophysical properties as described above.